David H. Howard, Hate Crime Threats, FL 2024

David H. Howard, 59, of Tampa, Florida, has pleaded guilty to a federal hate crime for threatening to burn down a home after learning it was being purchased by a Muslim family. The announcement, made today by the Department of Justice, confirms Howard’s admission of guilt in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division. He faces up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.

On November 3, 2016, Howard confronted a Muslim man, identified as K.A., and the home’s seller, H.D., during the final walk-through of the property on Tampa’s Davis Islands. As K.A. arrived with real estate agents, Howard shouted, ‘This sale will not take place!’ before threatening to set the house ablaze and declaring, ‘You are not welcome here!’ The threats were so severe that K.A. and his wife immediately abandoned the transaction, canceling the scheduled closing the following day.

Court documents reveal Howard later bragged about the incident to neighbors, making derogatory and inflammatory remarks about Muslims. His actions directly violated Title 42 U.S.C. § 3631, which protects individuals from intimidation or interference in housing rights based on religion. The Justice Department emphasized that such threats are not just personal attacks, but deliberate efforts to drive entire communities from their homes.

Acting Assistant Attorney John Gore of the Civil Rights Division stated, ‘The Department of Justice will not tolerate illegal threats or acts of intimidation against any individual because of their religious beliefs.’ He affirmed the division’s commitment to prosecuting hate crime offenders without exception. The case, he noted, sends a clear message: bigotry will not be shielded from federal justice.

U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez for the Middle District of Florida added, ‘Individuals and families should have the right to live wherever they choose, without intimidation or fear.’ She underscored that crimes targeting people based on race, ethnicity, or religion are unacceptable and will be met with the fullest force of federal law. FBI Tampa Division Special Agent in Charge Eric W. Sporre stressed community cooperation as vital, stating, ‘Hate motivated crimes are not only an attack on the victim, but are meant to threaten and intimidate an entire community.’

The investigation was led by the FBI. Prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Josephine W. Thomas of the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney William E. Nolan of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section. A sentencing date for David H. Howard has not yet been scheduled.

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